Tedeschi and climate change – the future is at stake. For any Amarone lover, the name Tedeschi needs no introduction. One of the famous great Valpolicella families, with vineyards owned there since 1630. Today, Antonietta, Sabrina and Riccardo now run the Tedeschi business. They are the children of Renzo and Bruna Tedeschi. That’s some job, as there are currently 46 …
Chiesa del Carmine – an authentic taste of Umbria
Chiesa del Carmine – an authentic taste of Umbria Chiesa del Carmine is a restored estate in Umbria, some thirty minutes north of the twin delights of Perugia and Assissi. It’s near the Tuscan border, in a small limestone valley accessed from the river valley of the Upper Tiber (Fiume Tevere). This short article is about why their wines are worth …
IWCA – International Wineries for Climate Action
IWCA – International Wineries for Climate Action Wine is one of the most valuable agricultural products in the world. Now we’re witnessing the catastrophic effects of the global climate emergency. The world’s vineyards are vulnerable to an increasing amount of extreme weather events; from storms, floods, heat, fire and drought. Some marginal winegrowing regions in the world have arguably benefited thus …
Colet Navazos Extra Brut, original and brilliant fizz
Colet Navazos Extra Brut, original and brilliant fizz Regular readers will know of my love of Sparkling wine and Sherry. They are two unique wine styles with entirely different origins. Two methods defined by their complicated production and maturation processes. They couldn’t be more different from one another. Poles apart, you might say. But what if someone was bonkers enough …
Pla de Bages and its unique heritage
Pla de Bages and its unique heritage These days, Pla de Bages is a relatively obscure Spanish wine region in the heart of Catalonia, Spain. Yet winegrowing has been here since Roman times, and the word Bages comes from Bacchus, the Roman God of wine. North-west of Barçelona, this fascinating region occupies the valleys of two rivers, the Llobregat and …
Huia Blanc de Blancs and Marlborough Memories
Huia Blanc de Blancs and Marlborough Memories The Huia was a native New Zealand bird with beautiful plumage. In particular, its distinctive tail feathers, now extremely rare, were highly prized, both by the Maori and by milliners. Sadly, this species hasn’t been seen since 1907 and is now almost certainly extinct. Huia is also the name of a winery. In …
Artesano Organic Malbec/Cab Franc – Argento Redux
Artesano Organic Malbec/Cab Franc – Argento Redux Argento wines from Argentina used to be one of the mainstays of my public tastings with their Malbec. Sharply priced and with supermarket availability, it was always a crowd-pleaser. Then the Argento brand seemed to disappear. So I’m delighted to see them return to UK retail with a new brand, Artesano de Argento. …
Herbert Hall English Sparkling Brut Rosé 2016
Herbert Hall English Sparkling Brut Rosé 2016 My first encounter with Herbert Hall wines was in 2016 with their Traditional Method Brut. That’s from Kent, and it proved to be one of the outstanding wines in a lineup of high-quality Britfizz. You can read about that here. However, Herbert Hall also makes a Brut Rosé of a similar calibre. Herbert Hall …
Tenuta Sette Cieli: above us only sky
Tenuta Sette Cieli: above us, only sky There are many bright stars in the Bolgheri heavens. Bolgheri is the tiny Tuscan village that now shoulders a colossal reputation. These days, it’s famous for those iconic red wines that rival or surpass the most outstanding wines of Bordeaux. Much of Bolgheri is a flat coastal strip, but rolling hills rise not …
Millésime BIO 2020: the world’s biggest organic wine fair
Millésime BIO 2020: the world’s biggest organic wine fair Millésime BIO was established in 1993 by a handful of organic winegrowers from Languedoc-Roussillon. This 27th edition is the biggest trade fair for organic and biodynamic wines in the world. The 2020 show ran from 27-29 January 2020 in Montpellier, south of France. Diversity You might think that this show would …